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Well, erm, uh... it's been awhile. :)The upside of absence is the multitude of things to catch up on, so here's what's going on right now:

- Shelter's 2nd offering, "Turn to Stone", is finished and you'll soon be (or already are, depending on when you read this) able to check it out both here and on our cdbaby page. Scott Hulsey and I recorded most of the instrumentation for them in 2011, so it was a fun challenge to revisit and finish them. I'm really proud of these songs, and it's nice to get them to the light of day finally.

- The Ism's 2nd album, "Carousel", is also complete now, and you can check it out here or on cdbaby. Jesse, Nathan and I each took recording duties on the songs, and I'm thrilled with the results; all the way down to (and especially so) the artwork. I can't say enough how lucky I am to be able to make art with two people who are not only my dear friends, but absolute badass musicians and artists as well.

Both of the above projects were a long time coming, and I'm elated to finally call them finished; I really think they hold some of my (and our) best work to date. Although I guess the process of assembling everything into album form might be considered a quaint throwback nowadays, I really like cataloging our progress and capturing a point in time...hence the "Stillframe" thing. :) speaking of which...

- I'm four songs into my 4th Stillframe album at the moment, and I'm working on getting them recorded as well as writing some more material. If I get any demos worth uploading in the meantime, I'll post a link to them here!

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the new music!

- We had a blast at The Village show on Sept. 25th. I think it was the best show we’ve played so far, and it definitely goes in my all-time Top Ten shows I’ve played! It was great to catch up with all the bands we’ve played with before, as well as getting the chance to meet some new acts we weren’t familiar with. Thanks to everyone who came out to support us! We don’t have any other shows scheduled as of right now, but rest assured I’ll put it up on the site as soon as we do.

- There’s a new website out, www.spotlightonindies.com, which is focused on providing reviews and exposure for independent artists. They’re currently featuring ‘Deeper Than I Thought’ reviews (they even gave it a front page spot!) and links, among several other artists’ reviews. I’ve made tentative arrangements to help out as a reviewer, so if you’re an independent musician with a finished cd that you’d like to see get some exposure and criticism (or if you’d like to show some support for independent music and the kind folks who are making an effort to get it noticed), PLEASE go check them out!

- I’m going through the process of making ‘It All Comes Down’ available through digital download, I’ll have that info up on the store page soon. I’ve had some recent reservations with the distributor we’ve used so far, but with a little luck all the problems are past. In the meantime, for anyone who’s interested in a physical copy of the cd, please email me at stillframeband@gmail.com.

- Shelter is reconvening to begin work on our next album, tentatively titled ‘Turn To Stone’. We’re currently in the writing/polishing stages with the songs, but the material sounds promising and we’re pleased with the results so far. I’ll divulge more info as soon as I can! Oh, and speaking of other exciting projects I’m involved in…

Hey everyone, thanks for checking in. Not a lot in the way of words this time around, but the actions they describe have kept me pretty busy as of late:

- “It All Comes Down” is almost complete; I’m playing with some harmonies and last-minute instrument additions while working out a final mix. While I haven’t set a solid release date as of yet, my intention is to have it ready in time for…

- …The show we’re playing at The Village in Little Rock on Sept. 25th! Tickets will be available on www.stillframeband.com soon, get them from us before the show and save $2 per ticket. We’re sharing the bill with Spinning Jenny and Anna Ruth so far, as soon as I find out the other acts I’ll post them up here as well.

- As you can see, The Village is an amazing venue to get to play, especially on a Friday nite. We’re extremely excited to get the opportunity, and we’re really counting on YOU (yes, you!) to help us make this the best show we’ve played, we hope to see you there!

Hi Everyone, Sorry for the silence recently; I’ve been holed up trying to move the recording of ‘It All Comes Down’ forward, and thus necessarily reclusive. Since I don’t have a lot to say lately, I’ll let some others do the talking. Here are a couple of kind reviews I received recently:

Having reviewed dozens (possibly hundreds) of albums, only three have made it into my private collection and this is one of them. Stillframe is the epitome of everything that is good with modern adult alternative rock without any of the usual mistakes.

Not only is their poetry angst-filled and contemporary, it is very, very well written. Seldom have I heard even one song off an album where the lyrics would stand on their own as poetry, but Stillframe has produced an entire album of such writing.

As for the music itself, manoman, where do I start?

At times making the listener think of 3 Doors Down, Disturbed, REM and even Pink Floyd, none of these songs can be accused of being "sounds-like" tracks. They are each unique and separate from anything I've ever heard. The closest I'd come to comparing any given song off this album to a specific group or style is to say they have jumped head-first into the alt rock genre and set the bar for how it *should* sound.

Generally, most albums I review will get about 30 seconds of listening then on to the next track, only going longer if I'm hooked. I honestly listened to this album, in its entirety, never touching the "advance" key on my cd player once. If memory serves, this is the first album I've listened to from beginning to end the first time I heard it ... and that includes albums I've purchased for myself.

The bass is very, very tasty. Rich and full and so on time one would think there was a metronome in the bass-player's head. Unlike a lot of alt rock songs, the bass is not overdone, not underdone, but absolutely the perfect amount to punctuate each song.

The guitar is equally tasty and again, not overdone. This musician would find himself at home with any genre of music, I have a feeling.

Drums ...Stillframe has stumbled across a drummer I would strongly suggest they not get rid of. Another musician with a metronome in his head and one of the finest uses of cymbals and toms I've come across in my 50 years of living.

And vocals. The only criticism I have for the vocals is that there needs to be more harmony parts incorporated into their music. The lead vocals are outstanding, but the few times there is vocal harmony, the hair stands up on the back of my neck.

So, how much do I like this group? Stillframe is the cd that is in my car stereo right now and has been there since the day after I received this cd for review.

Keep on keepin' on Stillframe, I'm eagerly anticipating another album from you.

Are you bummed that Soundgarden broke up? Are you a fan of Alice and Chains? Are you wondering where you can get more music like this? Look no further. Stillframe’s debut album “Deeper Than I Thought” will satisfy that need. This is dark, emotive heavy rock. This is tight guitar playing that understands playing with emotion over just playing it loud. This is hard rock that knows that sometimes it’s the quietest moments that can scream the loudest at you. Stillframe is the solo project for indie band Shelter’s rhythm guitarist Charlie Griggs. And Mr Griggs writes and records songs that understand your angst and gives you an outlet for it. Yes, there is a lot of darkness in this album. The music dances across barren and powerful landscapes of love scorned and love betrayed. But this is not a black album. This an album from a musician that knows that sometimes in life you have to travel in darkness before you can find light. No where is this more apparent than in the opening track “Punish”. In this song you look at someone who refuses to see you for who you are, but rather how they insist on seeing you. But this song doesn’t punish you. It sets you free and let’s you step above those who project their own biases and prejudices against you. Like I said, if you miss bands like Soundgarden and Alice and Chains, Stillframe’s “Deeper Than I Thought”, will give you that fix that you’ve been jonesing for.

Thanks very much to Jef and TJR for taking the time to listen and comment, I appreciate it more than I can articulate.

In other news:

- Our show at Juanita’s last month was a lot of fun, thanks to everyone who came out to support us. Thanks especially to Scott Hulsey and Patrick Naven for their professional and artistic interpreting of the material, you made my night!

- Instrument tracks for ‘It All Comes Down’ are largely done now, and roughly mixed. With a little luck and a lot of work, I should be able to put some tracks up for you to hear soon. So far, I’m really pleased with how it’s coming along. I hope everyone else will be, too!

- No other shows on the horizon as of this writing, but we had so much fun at the last show that Patrick, Scott, and I are entertaining booking some more soon; I’ll post them as soon as I know of them!

- Care of Afton Live, Stillframe is playing at Juanita’s on May 3rd, along with Maywood Park, Don’t Touch, Nightly Massacre, and Anna Ruth. I’ve got Scott Hulsey and Patrick Naven helping out on bass and drums, respectively. We’ve been hard at work jamming on the material, and we’re pretty excited about it! Tickets are on sale for $8 pre-show (contact us, or you can get them directly off http://www.stillframeband.com/products.html), or $10 at the door. The show starts at 5pm, it’s all ages, bar w/ID, and you should go; you need to get out more. Or maybe you don’t, but you should make an exception in this case…

- With Shelter’s album finished, I’ve been digging in on the 2nd Stillframe album, ‘It All Comes Down’. Drum and initial guitar tracks are finished, and even though I’m risking jinxing myself by saying it, I’m really happy with how it’s turning out so far. We’re going to be performing some of the new material at the Juanita’s show also, so it’ll be nice to see how everyone reacts to it!

- It’s a weekend full of jamming for me, happily. I had the pleasure of jamming with E. Is For Giraffe last night, which was a lot of fun. Extremely talented guys, and fun to hang out with – a rare combination! It’s so great to be in a room with people that are really communicating through their instruments with one another; so many times jamming just becomes noise, with everyone talking at once, but when you get the chance to play with musicians that intuitively give and take when it’s appropriate, it’s a humbling experience; it’s sculpting with sound. Tonight it’s Stillframe practice, which has been going great and also a lot of fun, and tomorrow Scott and I will hopefully get to go hang out Widow’s Garden, which if you’ve looked around at my website you’ll know I respect the hell out of! Recording necessitates a lot of being locked up alone in a room, so getting to enjoy all these musicians this weekend is like water in the desert to me, and that’s not even mentioning everything I learn from getting to hang out with them; thanks, everyone!

Current Events of Lesser-to-No Importance to You, Definitely:

- I woke up and broke my toe this morning. Pinkie toe, the left one. The cowardly furniture should be ashamed of itself; the Pinkie toe can’t even defend itself. If the first thing that happens when you get out of bed is a part of you breaking, you should be allowed an extra hour of sleep, I think.

- Ash and I are moving. Someplace where my toes can live in relative safety, and can run and play without fear of being stubbed.

- Stillframe: I’m finishing the drums for my second album, to be titled ‘It All Comes Down’ this week. If you’ve read anything here recently you might find this redundant, since I’ve been messing with the drums on this one for some time. Well, the truth is, I’m having to re-do all of them to fit a different format; I was told recently of a new program that does drums way better than anything I’ve messed with up to this point. Dubious? My source is a 2,000 year old ninja master, who occasionally speaks through one of my good friends. Maybe you’re brazen enough to question the word of a 2,000 year old ninja master, but I, for one, am not…

- We’ve been spending a lot of our time working on the internet lately, and one of the new sites that I’ve found (and really like) is www.ourstage.com; it’s an online battle-of-the-bands type of site, but it’s done very nicely and fairly. My favorite part of it is getting to actively participate in the charts; whether you sign up as a fan or an artist, you get to judge/rank songs from a large selection of indie bands. There’s a lot of really great music on this site, so if you’re bored you should check it out!

- More info on ‘It All Comes Down’ next month!

That’s the major news I can think of right now. I’m sure there’s more I’ve left out…check back soon!

Hey everyone, hope that you’re all doing well. Here’s this month’s installment of ‘Prattle For The Bored’…

- Shelter news: Scott and I are finishing up vocals on the Shelter album, and should start mixing in the next week or two. Cutting vocals consists of standing in my closet, which is padded by mattress egg-crating on all sides, and singing or screaming at the top of your lungs at this crating with as much emotion as possible; in other words, getting really mad in a padded room. Lotsa fun!

- We (Shelter) just got done playing the Vampire’s Ball Halloween show at Jester’s with Eden Crow, McCuen, and Wishtribe. It was a lot of fun; good turnout, and the other bands are as gracious as they are talented. Who knows, maybe we’ll poke our heads out again sometime soon?

- Scott and I are going to be helping Todd Ashley from Tripswitch out for a few shows he has scheduled over the next two months - one in Gillet, the others in Arkadelphia. It’s all cover material, so it should be a fun challenge; since we’re always writing our own material, we don’t focus on learning covers as much as we probably should. More news on the shows once I know more about ‘em!

- With my primary focus currently being on finishing up the Shelter tracks, I’m ashamed to say that (other than tinkering with drum tracks I’ve already programmed) there’s not a lot of news to mention on the Stillframe front. But the next album is still in my sights; once I’ve got Shelter’s album off to the presses I’ll be hard at work on it. I’m planning a little different approach on the next one, so I’m anxious to get going on it and see what I come out with!!

So, that’s all that’s new that I can think of at the moment. For those disinterested in ranting, you’re dismissed – for those who can’t find anything on TV, here ya go:

I normally try to keep my opinions to myself. Mainly because I’m a pretty cynical guy, so I’d rather not pollute the world with my pessimism, and also because I figure that I can get my point across artistically much more efficiently than with just words, if not more eloquently as well (hopefully!). Finally, I believe in the old adage about opinions, and I think that most people’s strength of conviction shuts off their ability to be objective enough to embrace an opinion different than their own.

But, with the election behind us now, and most of the country jubilant, the rest teary-eyed, I’m compelled to ask:

If the Presidency is determined by the Electoral College and not the popular vote, why is your vote so important?If the media only covers the two ‘main’ parties for the entire race, and if you, out of doing your homework, find and choose to vote for a ‘third-party’ candidate, only to have that vote roll over to one of the ‘main’ parties in the end, why do you think you’ve just made a real choice?

Contrary to how it may appear, this isn’t a political rant; politics just happened to provide a nice example. It’s a rant about US, you and me.

It’s the easy choice to buy into everything advertised to you, to do what you’re told without questioning why; it’s just what all the machines that hold our lives captive want us to do, and they’re all perfect machines in their cunning. Work, government, religion, society – all these systems are fed and exist because you’ve given your time to them, traded your life for them. I’m not an anarchist; I realize that they all exist because they have to, they’re what is required to make it possible for all of us to enjoy the lives we have in the ways that we do. But they exist FOR us, BY us, not as unchangeable, untouchable overseers of our fates.

What I’m getting at is this: Question Authority. Challenge it, not out of punk-rock idealism or unfocused rebellion, not because you resent it, but because it’s your right to. Don’t blindly do what you’re told, like so much cattle; question everything, even your own convictions, even the things you’ve held true your whole life. Because without your questioning them, what’s their real value to you, and what’s your growth as a person? Blindly following a path because it’s popular, accepted, or ‘required’ negates you, takes your intelligence for granted, and makes you into a pawn in someone else’s game – it is apathy in disguise, an apathy that you subscribe to because it’s been indoctrinated into you your whole life that these things are ‘just the way it is’. Don’t accept ambivalence as an answer. The quality of your life is directly tied to your intelligence, and you gain intelligence by asking questions and making deductions on everything around you; that’s the game we’re all involved in.

So, be convicted about your favorite political party, or your religion, or your profession; be a true agent of its prosper. But do so because you’ve truly decided to, because you’re certain of everything it stands for and provides for you, not because it’s trendy, ‘right’, generally accepted, or because someone else told you to. Use skepticism and questioning as tools in defining your choice for what to stand up for, and be sure that you can defend your convictions intelligently when you’re called upon to do so. If you’re lucky, maybe you’ll even enlighten someone else.

Hi everyone, hope you’re all doing well. To catch you up on current events over here…

I’m starting off this one with some news of my other project, Shelter. As you might know if you’ve ever looked around on this website, Shelter is a band I’ve been in for the past couple of years; Scott Hulsey and I are the co-writers, we both handle guitar and vocal duties, with Jason McKinney on drums and Mike Vallejo on bass. If you haven’t done so yet, check us out at www.myspace.com/thebandshelter - the site is kinda lean on new info right now, but we’ll have plenty up there soon!!!

- Shelter is reconvening for a Halloween show in Little Rock, put on by Jester’s. It’s called the Vampire Ball, and it’s at the Fraternal Order of the Eagle. This is our first show in about a year now, so we’re really excited to get back out and play! We’re sharing the billing with 3 other bands, WishTribe, McCuen, and Eden Crow. Tickets are $15 at the door, and they’re also having a costume contest and some other stuff going on; hope we see you there!

- Scott and I are currently working on laying the vocals for Shelter’s first album (as yet untitled). There are 15 tracks we’re working with right now, and while we haven’t decided if all will make it to the final finished product, we’re confident with the work we’ve done so far. We’re anticipating a release date of January 2009, hopefully sooner!

So, you may be asking – what’s up with Stillframe, then…?

- Last month I mentioned that my focus is shifting to recording more than doing live shows; as you can tell from the above, I’m still managing to get my kicks with the live aspect, as well as having a lot of studio work to accomplish! I’m working in tandem right now on both Shelter and Stillframe; as of this writing, the drum tracks for Stillframe - ‘It All Comes Down’ are mostly finished, they just require some tweaking and messing with. Once those are done, it’s guitar tracking time, the most wonderful time of the year! I think it’s my favorite part of recording; every other aspect of it can get tedious, but I can play guitar all day long and still want to keep going…

- I’ll be uploading ‘Afterthought’ into the New! website that ClearChannel is tied to this week, and I’ll post a link on here soon for anyone who would like to hear it. Please give it a listen if you have the time!

- We’re working away at getting the music out to a few different places on the internet; I’ll leave a new list on here next month, for those of you who like to surf!

That’s all the music-related news for now, at least all that I can think of. Hope to see you at the Vampire Ball!

Go check 'em out if you're interested in ringtones, mp3's, or another place to get the album through; more sites are coming soon. Thanks to everyone who's downloaded the album so far, I really appreciate it!

- Anyone paying attention to the calendar may have noticed that it's, um, blank. I had a few shows posted that, unfortunately, won't end up happening due to scheduling conflicts and life in general. My sincere apologies to anyone who had planned attending one ofthese shows; I hate the unprofessional act of cancelling a performance. This caused me to take some time to reflect on what the best path is for me, at least artistically speaking... In my mind, I feel like live original music is an awesome thing; bands like Tsui Generiz, The Muddlestuds, Widow's Garden, they've each put on shows that I absolutely loved and had a great time at. Being a musician and a fan at the same time, I feel like I really getmy money's worth going to see them; the same talent of the 'big' major label bands (some, including me, would argue more!), but it doesn't require that you sell one of your organs to pay for the tickets, and you can actually approach them and tell them how much their music affects you. This, added in with the intimacy of smaller club settings, has made going to see these and other "underground" bands such an enjoyable experience for me. As for playing one of these shows, well, there's nothing like it, as anyone who's ever done it will tell you. Artistically, it's the most directway to throw your work out to others and get their response to it. Socially, it's one of the best highs you can get, to have a stranger come up to you and tell you that you've connected with them, said what they felt in a way that touched them. Alcoholically, the drinksare usually free!

But as much FUN as it is, as great as the thrill of it feels... Live performance is a separate medium. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it doesn't require great musicianship; I've learned a lot from having to recover onstage that I couldn'thave learned anywhere else, and playing well in spite of the adrenalin, distractions, fear, and everything else that comes with being onstageis a test of musicianship that, again, you're not going to find anywhere else. I'm just saying that to me, it's a separate medium, one that requires a different set of rules, and a different set of considerations in regardsto the material you're writing and performing. Look at The Beatles; 'She Loves You' translated just fine in a live setting, but once they venturedoff into 'I Am The Walrus' or 'Strawberry Fields Forever', it became a near impossibility to perform that music in a live format. And, while youmight be lucky enough to have seen one of your favorite bands in concert, it's the albums that you cleave to; they're eternal, there for youwhenever you want or need them. The memory of a live performance is a great thing, but having the music with you is what affects your life,carries you through the hard times or gives your own soundtrack to the happy times in your life. While I'm likely to remember the awesome Tool concert I went to when I hear 'The Grudge', or the energy of the room at the REM concert when I hear 'Horse To Water', it's the memoryof pulling the car to the side of the road when I first heard Tool, finding comfort and kinship when I really needed it in REM, that transformativemoment when first heard 'Sgt. Pepper's' and thought "I want to make that sound!", or my friend Josh turning me on to Nirvana when we were kids, that ultimately means more to me, and thus makes the music more than just music; it's a piece of me, and a portal back through my memories. THAT's the sound that I want to make. I don't claim to be as great as any of the artists that have affected me this way, or even as great as any of the "underground" groups I've hadthe chance to see live; for you, I offer what I do only because I'm compelled to, because it feels like what I'm supposed to do. If for some awesome reason it connects with you, or you feel some kind of kinship to it, then I want to be able to give you something eternal for it. And for me, I want to be without constaints in what I create; I want to test my limits beyond what's acheivable in a group of people on a stage, or at least have the freedom to explore that territory without misgivings or second thoughts. So, that means that it's back to the room with me. I'm going to start working on the second album. The songs are already lined out, it's just timeto get them recorded! If a live opportunity presents itself and it's something that can be done, I'm not against taking it; I just wanted to let anyonewho cares know that I'm not flaky, lazy, or quitting. I hope that it makes sense to you! And I'd love to hear your thoughts on it; how does music affect you the most? That's all for now; I'll post progress on the new recording as it progresses. Hope life goes well for you in the meantime!Regards,Charliewww.stillframeband.comwww.myspace.com/stillframesite

Hey everyone, hope your worlds are all intact and orbiting nice and steady. First, for those who are interested, current events for Stillframe are as follows:

- Thanks so much to everyone who came out to support us at the Juanita's show on July 27th, we had a great time! Original music often has a hard time finding a home, and seeing so many of you actively interested in it makes it all more than worthwhile, it makes it fun, and I wish I could express our gratitude to you enough. For those who missed it…

- The next Juanita's show is on Nov. 9th at 8:00pm, let me know if you're interested in attending and we'll make sure to hook you up with discounted tickets!

- In the meantime, we're playing Vino's on Sept. 4th, and there's rumors of an impromptu acoustic get-together at Adair Park here in Hot Springs on Sept. 5th…

- As always, be sure to check out www.myspace.com/stillframesite if you're on myspace, and add us as friends. It's good for your karmic balance to be nice to us.

So I think that concludes Stillframe business; now for the irrelevant personal babble…

In the "music I like" department, I recently happened to, um, happen across a band I really dig, called Chuckanut Drive. They're a country/rock band out of WA, and their album, 'The Crooked Mile Home' is absolutely great. Mind you, I'm really not a country fan at all– that should speak to how good their songwriting is. 'The Crooked Mile Home' is a concept album about…well, I'm not going to lessen its potential impact on you with feeble attempts at explaining it, just go check it out when you're feeling musically adventurous, I bet you'll dig it, too!

In the "bummer" department, some enterprising ass recently broke into our car, right in our carport, to rob us of cds, among a few paltry other items; many were cds by local bands that I've gone to see over the years. To the creep(s) responsible, thanks a lot for that. I can't tell you how much I hope you make a little more noise next time, I'd really love to meet you. Apparently, there's been a rash of break-ins like this in Hot Springs as of late, which is just sad. Nevermind about stealing, or material possessions - in a world that's constantly blaring commercials/carhorns/telephones, with lights on 24 hours a day and a pace set at the speed of lightning, the only respite we often get is the sanctity of our homes, and to those stupid/addicted/apathetic enough to deprive people of that sanctity…well, you're pathetic, and I hope you get what you deserve.

In the "Miscellaneous/I am a Geek" department, the Perseid meteor showers peak tomorrow I think, which is fun for me since I'm into astronomy. If you've never thrown a blanket down and stared at the stars all night, I highly recommend it.

- Deeper Than I Thought is finally available! We received the CDs this week, and we’re getting the store page updated so you can purchase them from us directly or through CDBaby. For anyone anxious and digitally inclined, you can click on the Digstation link on our homepage to download the whole album or just the songs you like right now! We’ll also be set up through iTunes and a few other digital outlets, more on that as it progresses…

- Practice sessions for the Juanita’s show on July 27th are still going great, we’re really excited about playing it. If you’re in the area, come out and support local artists!

- As of this writing, the song ‘Deeper Than I Thought’ is enjoying 822 plays on the NEW! Discover Music website, thanks very much for everyone who’s taken the time to listen! ‘Afterthought’ seems to have won the vote on which song should be uploaded so we’ll get the ball rolling on that, keep your eyes/ears open for it!

- I goofed, by the way; the number for the Edge is 501-433-1003! See what insomnia gets you?

- A special thanks in advance to Movie Magic in Fountain Lake for carrying our cd; we’re working on a retail page for the site that will list everywhere that it’s available.

That’s all that I can think of right now, of course I’m sure there’s more that I’ve neglected to mention, I’ll post it as it comes to me. Thanks for your support and time, drop a line in the guestbook for us to let us know what you think!Regards,Charliewww.stillframeband.comwww.myspace.com/stillframesite

- The CD is in replication right now, and should be done by the end of this month. We’ll have it available here as soon as possible, and for anyone in the AR area we’re working on several retail venues, which I’ll list here on the site once it’s official.

- Practice sessions for the show at Juanita’s on July 27th are going great, we’re all looking forward to playing it. Hope you can make it out! The tickets are $10 at the door, or you can get them preshow from us for $8, just contact us at stillframeband@gmail.com for details.

- We’ve put guitar picks up on the store page, check ‘em out!

- The song ‘Deeper Than I Thought’ should be available soon on Sundays on 100.3 The Edge out of Little Rock. Call in and request it at 501-443-1003!

- On a personal note, we just got to catch the REM concert in Chicago – awesome! It’s great that they’re playing songs from the entire span of their career. Modest Mouse also had an awesome set, and we had a great time. We also got to spend some time in Chicago (great city!) and pass out some demo CDs to some of the people we met there. Hope we hear back from some of you!

- The first copy of the newsletter will be out by the end of July, join up to our mailing list to receive it!

Hi everyone, hope all’s well with you! Just a quick note to let you know what’s going on lately:

- I’m finishing up Stillframe - Deeper Than I Thought this week and getting it ready to be sent off, so we should have it up on the site in the next few weeks. Again, thanks to all of you who took the time to listen and give your support, it’s much appreciated! We’ll also have the product page updated soon, check back there when you get the time.

- We have a show booked on July 27th at Juanita’s in Little Rock, care of BigTime Entertainment. The live lineup this time will consist of Mike Vallejo on bass and Patrick Naven on drums. You might’ve heard both of them at previous Shelter shows, or from their other bands: Patrick has played in Stoic, and Mike fronts his solo project Jessica Seven (mentioned in the links page, check ‘em out!). Much thanks to both of them for helping me out!

- As a matter of fact, Jessica Seven is also playing at Juanita’s the same night, so come out if you’re in the area and catch us both! I’m also trying to see if we could get Widow’s Garden out there as well, which would make it a really great show for all of us (and you, too!), more on that later…Tickets for the show are $10 at the door, or you can get them from us before the show for $8. Contact us if you’re interested; either leave a message in the guestbook, mention it if you’re joining the mailing list, or you can email us at stillframeband@gmail.com or on our myspace site, www.myspace.com/stillframesite. We’ll get back in touch with you promptly!

- We’re getting ready to send out the first Stillframe newsletter soon (no solid date yet!), so if you’re not on the mailing list yet and would like to keep up with us (and get a shot at some exclusives we’ve got planned) please sign up!

That’s all I can think of right now, I’m sure there’s more I’ve neglected to mention. Hope to hear from you all soon, and maybe even see you at Juanita’s!

Hello everyone, or anyone, whichever applies. Thanks for taking time to read this, hope that all’s well in your life, or lives.

Things here are moving at breakneck speed lately, which is a rollercoaster ride that evokes simultaneously every emotion from exhilarating to exhausting; the process of finishing up the album is coming along slowly but surely, with the main vocals being almost complete. Next come the harmonies, then mixing and we’re done and off to the presses! Say it real fast and it’s not so much!

Actually, I’m pretty pleased with how the recording is going so far, and thanks very much to all of you that have taken the time to listen and give some feedback to the snippets I’ve put up; having your support helps fuel the work more than you know. The recording process can be so tumultuous; it’s a technical and precise art whose point is to try to capture something that’s emotional and abstract. But there’s a satisfaction near unparalleled when the songs start to take on their own organic nature; some go in a different direction than what you’d anticipated, others exceed your expectations – even the ones that don’t work force you to learn and grow. Anyway, I’m enjoying the work, and I hope that you’ll enjoy it also once it’s finished.

We’re currently making some stickers, I'll put pictures of what they look like on the merch page soon. Let me know what you think of them, or if you have any other ideas you’d like to see. Also, we’re thinking about making some T-shirts as well; like the idea, or would you rather see something else instead? Condoms? Tea Sets? Arm floaties? I lobbied pretty hard for fake vomit, but it got vetoed…

On another note, I hope you’ve gotten the chance to hear REM’s newest album, Accelerate – I’m thrilled that they’ve put out such an awesome album! REM is definitely one of my defining influences, and while I like all their albums the last few have lacked some of the ‘punk’ aspect of their music that I dig so much, but not this one! Check it out if you get the chance!

Also, this weekend I got a chance to catch a great group here in Hot Springs called Widow’s Garden. Scott (Hulsey, from Shelter) is playing guitar for them, and they’re making some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard from around here. Seriously! I’ll try to get some web info and post it in the links section for you, they’re another one that you should definitely take the time to listen to.

I guess that’s all that’s semi-interesting for now, email or comment me, because otherwise I feel creepy writing these things!

I’m just moving in, thanks for checking this out. If you don’t know me, my name’s Charlie Griggs, and this is the site for my solo project, Stillframe. I also play rhythm guitar and sing for the band Shelter (shameless plug 1: www.myspace.com/thebandshelter).

Shelter is a band that’s turned into something really cool for me; it started out when I met Scott Hulsey by joining up with another band, and we kind of just went from there as songwriting partners. With a changing rhythm section roster, I finally managed to get Mike Vallejo to come play bass for us. Since then it’s become a three person collaborative, which is a lot of fun; ideas get blended, slashed, turned upside down, and a million other things until they become a Shelter song, and the process is great, aside from the obvious benefits and learning that writing with two other accomplished songwriters can bring. It’s been amazing to see what three people with different tastes and styles can do to a song, and with the recording being in the vocals - then mixing - then done! stage, with any luck those of you that haven’t already heard us will get to soon!

But before Shelter, I was holed up working on my own material; stuff that either was too ’left-field’ for Shelter, or was too precious to me to let it get blended; that’s what Stillframe is all about. These are songs that I’ve written and played alone, some from years ago and some recently, along with my own artwork (I’d love to hear what you think of the backgrounds on this site and the other one mentioned shortly!). I’m at about the same stage in the recording process with this as I am Shelter (two albums in tandem proves to be a pretty big task!), and I plan to have it done and released in July of this year.

Aside from this site, I’ve also set up a myspace site,(shameless plug 2) www.myspace.com/stillframesite, please drop by and add me as a friend if you're into that kind of thing! Like this site, it’s brand-new, so please check back often as I’ll have it updated as quickly as I possibly can.

I’ve only got an instrumental clip set up right now, but soon I’ll have something more substantial for you to check out; in the meantime, I’d really love to hear some feedback from you, be it good/bad/indifferent! Thanks again for stopping by, hope to hear from you!